Fuel admission device for internalcombustion engines



06L 1944. A. SANDHOFER FUEL ADMISSION DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTIONENGINES Filed Aug. 28, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ARTHUR SANDHOF ER.6. ZJATTQRN Oct. 24, 1944. A. SANDHOFER I 2,361,063

FUEL ADMISSION DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES s Shets-Sheet 2Filed Aug. 28 1941 INVENTOR ARTHUR SANDHOFER Oct. 24, 1944. A. SANDHOFER2,361,063

FUEL ADMISSION DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Aug. 28,1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I 2 m I\* I 7 lWl FIG. 4

INVENTOR ARTHUR SANDHOF ER BY MM, M7 y?"- ATTORN Patents ct. 24, 1944FUEL ADDIISSION DEVICE FOR INTERNAL- COMBUSTION ENGINES ArthurSandhoter, Cisco, Tex., assignor to Phillips Petroleum Company, acorporation oi Delaware Application August 28, 1941, Serial No. 408,672

4 Claims. (01. 137-l53) This invention relates to internal combustionengines and in its more specific aspects to immovements in fluid fueladmissionmeans for internal combustion engines; and is acontinuaeliminates the conventional rocker arm, push rod, cam and geararrangement, and effects a number of advantages which will be readilyunderstood by those skilled in the art on a perusal of the accompanyingdrawings in conjunction tion-in-part of my prior filed application,Serial 5 w th t e e a d description hereimliftel P No. 353,941, filedAugust 23, 1940. sented.

Heretofore, it has generally been the practice It S e p y fi ie t 9 sinvention to in the Operation of two cycle engines to intro-' DTOVldeafiue1adm15S1n1eV1ce which is adapted duce the fluid fuel under pressureinto the head to increase t power dellvered y internal end of thecylinder during the compression stroke 10 bustion engmfm of th piston bymeans of a fuel injector whi h Another obJect of this inventionis toprovide includes a valve a valve temand a, spring device of thecharacter h ldicated which valve is opened through its cooperation witha efiectively and efliciently control the admission rocker arm and apushrod or valve shaft, the of fuel into an internal combustion enginelatter being 'actuated'by a geared connection to that the may beoPerated under Varmus the crank end of the engine. After the fuel hasload cqndltwns at econvsncal ,fuel (fonsumptionbeen introduced into thecylinder, the above A thud P of invention 15 to provide mentioned sprintends to close the valve. The a admlssmn device which is operable in(opening and closing) of the valve is positive and dependable manner byalternate controlled by a cam Which operates one end of pressures andvacua created behind the piston the rocker arm at predeterminedintervals to of an internal combustion engine during the exopeh andclose the Valve pension and compression strokes of the piston.

The present invention is an improvement over 3 inventml? has a further(meet the r the invention disclosed in the copending patent 9 of tmtemal q i' engine fuel application of Jim Barton, inventor, Serial No.1111551911 devlce which Is slmple in design 269,777; and contemplatesthe admission of fuel rugged m construction and relatiyely inexpensiveinto the head end of an internal combustion to manilfacture' By virtueof the Simplicity of engine cylinder by means of a device whichcommy.des1gn and the few .moving parts that are prises a fuel valve, avalve stem, a Spring, and subiect to wear, the maintenance andreplace--a diaphragm or other form of movable partition, i gfi 3, 3 sii is tocooperatively arranged with respect to pluprovide a fuel admission evicewhicliisi r la ted rality of control valves so that the fuel valve is tp o be readily substitutedfor other devices that operated by thealternate pressure and vacuum are 1 employed for the same purpose. Thisconcreated behind the piston during the expansion and compressionstrokes of the iston A small Version may be quickly and mexpensivelyaccom' plished at the place of use, thereby avoiding bore conduit placesmy device in communicacosh d y elays which would result if the entiretion with the back end of the engine cylinder;

d th to f engine has to be returned to the factory or an as e pis nmoves orward in each co transported to a workshop which is especiallypression stroke, a partial vacuum is createdbe- 40 equipped to make theconversion hind the Plston and also m my devicewhen These as well asadditional objects and advanthe piston moves toward the back end oi htages will be apparent by reference to the folcynndel' each expansionStroke, a Pressure 18 lowing specification and annexed drawings whichPmduced m the i Whlchl pressure is respectively describe and illustratepreferred utilized to actuate the diaphragm to open t embodiments of myinvention, and wherein Valve and admit fuel into the v qe I am Figure 1is a longitudinal cross section view abl to accurately control the P mthe h through the center of an internal combustion sine Cycle t Whlchthe fuel sfdmlsslon valve 15 engine cylinder having my inventionoperatively alternately opened and closed in order to obtain connected tt optimum fuel economy and operating re ult Figure 2 is an enlargedelevation view or one by emp oy ng a simp e, dependable andtroubleembodiment of the invention, partly in cross free device insteadof by means of the comti plicated troublesome mechanism that was usedFigure 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of in the past. The practiceof my invention another embodiment of the invention, partly in crosssection; and a Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of the casing inenlargement, and illustrates a preferred type of check valve arrangementin detail.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figure l, I havedenoted therein an internal combustion engine cylinder H), which isprovided with the usual water-jacket ii and is rigidly supported on anengine frame i 2 by means of bolts IS. A piston 14 reciprocates withinthe cylinder and is connected to a piston rod l whichpasses through apacking gland IS in the back end of the cylinder. A conventional sparkplug I! and air starting valve H are indicated at the head end of thecylinder. Air for normally operating the engine is introduced from theoutside into an air inlet passageway l9, passes through air inlet valves20 and chamber 2|, and thence is admitted into the cylinder by way ofinlet ports 22 and 23. The products of combustion are emitted from thecylinder by way of exhaust ports 24 and an exhaust outlet 25communicating therewith.

Figure 2 illustrates a body member, generally indicated by referencenumeral 26 and including a-base member 21, a pair of supports 28, avalve actuating chamber 29, and fa fluid chamber 30 having a cover plate3|, all assembled into a unitary structure by any suitable means knownin the art. Base member 21 embraces a fuel chamber 32 that is providedwith a, tapped fuel inlet opening 33 for connection to a source of fuelI supply (not shown), and is securely mounted to the head end of thecylinder so that a seat 34 for a fuel valve 35 is substantially flushwith the ,the back end of the engine cylinder through chamber 2i andports 22- and 23 in the order set forth. Compartment 60 communicateswith the atmosphere through ports 62. Diaphragm 58 carries a, pair ofplates 63, valve stem 51 being connected to the plate in compartment 60.A compression spring 64, concentric with respect to stem 51, is disposedbetween cover plate 3i and one of the diaphragm plates for normallyurging valve 56 into open position.

A passage and a branch conduit 61 place fiuid chamber in communicationwith conduit 6 i, while a similar passage 68 and a second branch conduit69 place valve actuating chamber 29 in communication with conduit 6 l.Adjustable flow valves liiand ii are provided in conduits 61 and 69,respectively.- Check valves 12 and 13 in passages 68 and 68,respectively, are shown in enlargement in Figure 4. Each of the checkvalves consists of a ball check 14 and a compression spring 75positioned between a valve seat ring 16 through a conventional type ofpacking unit 38,

consisting of a packing nut 39, a follower ring 40, and packing material4|. Valve stem 36 is threaded to engage with corresponding internalthreads in a boss 42 that is integral with a diaphragm plate 43. Aspider 44 supports a compression spring 45 that is concentricallydisposed with respect to the'valve stem for urging diaphragm plate 43and valve stem 36 toward the left to normally maintain fuel valve .35 inclosed position. As will be apparent from an inspection of Figure 2,compression spring 45 is also adapted to urge a diaphragm 46, which con-I stitutes the lower wall of valve actuating chamvalve stem 38. Whilethe use of the particular stop member described above is'recommended, itis'to be understood that various other forms of adjustable stops, suchas' the type'illustrated in Figure 3, may be advantageously employed inthe practice of my invention.

Referring next to fluid chamber 30, it will be observed that a casting52 forming the main part of this chamber has a wall 53 that also servesas a .wall for valve actuating chamber 23. A conduit 54 is adlustablypositioned in wall 53 by virtue of being threadedly supported thereinand establishes communication between fluid.

chamber 30 and valve actuating chamber 29. One end 55 of conduit 54constitutes a valve seat and a perforate plate H which are threadedlymounted in the passages. By varying the relative position of rings 16and/or perforate plates 1l,-.the,valves may be adjusted to open upon apredetermined fluid pressure to permit fluid flow through thecorresponding passages in one direction only. Although I prefer toemploy ball check valves in the practice of my invention, it will beobvious that various other types of valves which permit flow only in onedirection may be substituted therefor. The pressure at which each checkvalve will open may be controlled by simply adjusting the correspondingfiow valves or by adjusting each check valve and the corres'pondlng flowvalve, as desired. It will be noted that valvel2 controls the admissionof fluid into fluid chamber 30 through passage 66, whereas valve l3controls the discharge of fluid from actuating chamber 29 throughpassage 68.

For the purpose of outlining the mode of operation of the embodiment ofthe invention illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 4, it is firstassumedthat piston i4 ismoving lnthe direction indicated by the arrow on pistonrod i5, that is, toward the head end of the cylinder. It will be notedthat the piston has completed approximately half of its compressionstroke, and that air ports 23 and exhaust ports 24 are all covered bythe piston. Starting'valve l8 and fuel valve 35 are both closed, asindicated in the drawings, and the fuel and air mixturepreviously-admitted into the cylinder is being compressed preparatory tofiring. During this step in the operation, a partial vacuum is createdin back of the piston, extending from the back end of the cylinderthrough air ports 22, airchamber 2|, and conduit 6|. While the partialvacuum thus created in compartment 59 is generally sufficient to movediaphragm '58 toward the left and thereby move valve 55 to the positionshown in Figure 2, the use of compression spring 64 is recommended inorder that this movement of the diaphragm and valve 56 may beaccomplished in a positive manner. Since the fluid, in this case, air,that was admitted earlier into fluid chamber 30 and transmitted throughconduit 54 into actuating chamber 29 is under a higher pressure than thepressure now in conduit 6|, it will flow through passage 68, openingcheck valve 13 and thence be discharged through conduit 69 into conduit6|. Check valve 12 will, of course, remain closed. At the same time,compression spring 45 urges fuel valve 35 into completely closedposition and moves diaphragm 46 toward the left until all of the partsof my device have assumed the position illustrated in Figure 2.

As, the piston moves in the opposite direction during its expansionstroke it will uncover exhaustports 24 before air ports 23, allowing theproducts of combustion to exhaust by way of outlet 25. Air admitted byinlet I9 and valves 20 into chamber 2| is introduced to the headandrespectively. Continued travel of the piston on its expansion strokecompresses the air admitted into the back end of the cylinder andtransmits this air under pressure through port 22, chamber 2| andconduit 6|. A portion of this air is admitted into compartment 59 of thediaphragm motor, urging diaphragm 58 toward the right against the actionof spring 64 and bringing valve 56 into engagement with seat 5| onconduit 5| to thereby form a seal between fluid chamber 30 and actuatingchamber 29. Another portion of the fluid flows through branch conduit61, valve 10, past check valve 12, and thence into fluid chamber 30.Since the fluid pressure in conduit 6| and branch conduit 69 is nowsuperior to that in actuating chamber 29 and passage 68, it will benoted that check valve 13 will remain closed during this step in theprocedure.

The various valves will remain in the relative positions indicated inthe preceding paragraph until after the engine piston has completed itsexpansion stroke and has started on its next compression stroke. As theengine piston starts on its next compression stroke, there will be a,pressure drop in the back end of the cylinder and in conduit 6| whichwill allow diaphragm 58 to move valve 56 to open position and permit thefluid previously admitted into'fluid chamber 30 to rush into actuatingchamber 29 and force diaphragm 46 to the right so as to open fuel valve35. When an engine cylinder and piston arrangement of the characterillustrated in Figure 1 is employed, it is of course desirable that theadmission of fuel into the cylinder be delayed until after the exhaustports are closed during the compression stroke of the piston, therebyeliminating fuel waste which would otherwise occur. It is obvious thatthe fuel valve may be opened at any predetermined instant during theengine cycle and thus introduce fuel into the cylinder at the mostopportune time to obtain maximum benefits and economical operation.

Based on the foregoing, it will be observed that fuel valve 35 remainsclosed during the entire expansion stroke of the piston and is openedfor only a sufilcient period during the compression stroke of the pistonto admit the required amount of fuel into the head end of the cylinder.

It will be noted that the illustrated embodiments of the inventioncontemplate the use of a closed system for introducing and withdrawingfluid into and from body member 26. It should be'borne in mind, however,that it is not essential to the successful operation of this inventionthat fluid discharged from actuating chamber 29 be returned to conduit6|. If desired, the portion of branch conduit between valve H andconduit 64 may be omitted and the fluid may be numerals have been usedto denote parts thatare common to both embodiments of the invention.Only a. portion of body member 26 is illustrated herein, ,as all theother parts are the same as'in Figure 2. A casing 18 forms a cylinder I9within which is a piston 8|] that is connected to valve stem 36 and isnormally maintained in the illustrated position due to the action ofcompression spring 45. Piston 80 divides the interior of the easing intoa valve actuating chamber 29 and a spring chamber 8|, the latter chambercommunicating with the atmosphere through an annular space 82 betweenthe casing and valve stem 36. A plurality of threaded members 83 incasing 18 coact with piston 80 to serve as adjustable stops for thepiston to thereby restrict the movement of valve in open position. Itwill be noted that members 83 serve the same function as stop member 41of Figure 2. A second casing 84 mounted on cover plate 3| forms acylinder 85 within which is a piston 86 that is connected to valve stem51 and is normally maintained in the illustrated position due to theaction of compression spring 64. Piston 86 divides casing 86 into twocompartments, namely, compartment 59 which communicates with the backend of the engine cylinder through conduit BI, and compartment 81 whichcommunicates with the atmosphere through a port 88.

The operation of the second embodiment of the invention is the same asthat of the earlier described embodiment. The fluid acts on the pistonsto actuate the corresponding valves in the same manner as on thediaphragms illustrated in Figure 2. It will therefore be apparent thatequally satisfactory results may be obtained in. the practice of myinvention by employing diaphragms alone, pistons alone, or a combinationof diaphragms and pistons for the actuation of valves 35 and 56, as itis merely a matter of preference and design to determine the arrangementbest suited for a. particular installation.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction, operation andadvantages of my instant invention will be readily comprehended bypersons skilled in the art. It is to be clearly understood, however,that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to betaken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in theshape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. In a fuel admission device of the character indicated, thecombination comprising a fuel valve, a first conduit for supplying fuelto the valve, a fluid chamber, a second conduit independent of the firstconduit for supplying a pressure fluid to the fluid chamber, a valveassociated with the second conduit for permitting the flow of pressurefluid from the second conduit into the fluid chamber but preventing thewithdrawal of pressure fluid therethrough, a valve actuating chamberincluding a movable partition for cooperating with the fuel valve toactuate the same, means for placing the fluid chamber in communicationwith the valve actuating chamber, valve means for controlling the flowof pressure fluid through said means, a third conduit independent of thepreviously mentioned conduits for establlshing communication between thevalve actuating chamber and the exterior of the valve actuating chamber,a valve associated with the third conduit for permitting the withdrawalof pressure fluid from the valve actuating chamber but preventing theadmission of fluid thereinto, a second valve actuating chamber includinga movable partition for cooperating with the valve means to actuate thesame;

' 2. Ina fuel admission device of the character described, thecombination comprising a fuel valve, means for normally maintaining thefuel valve in closed position, adjustable means for limiting movement ofthe fuel valve in the direction of open position, a first conduit forsupplying fuel to the'valve, a fluid chamber, a second conduitindependent of the first conduit for supplying a pressure fluid to thefluid chamber, a valve associated with the second conduit for permittingthe flow. of pressure fluid from the second conduit into the fluidchamber but preventing the withdrawal of pressure fluid therethrough, avalve actuating chamber. including a diaphragm for cooperating with thefuel valve to actuate the same, means for placing the-fluid; chamber incommunication with the valve actuating chamber, valve means forcontrolling the flow of pressure fluid through said means, a thirdconduit independent of the previously mentioned conduits forestablishing communication between the valve actuating chamber and theexterior thereof, a valve associated with the third conduit forpermitting the withdrawal of pressure fluid from the valve actuatingchamber but preventing the admission of fluid thereinto, a second valveactuating chamber including a diaphragm for cooperating with the valvemeans to actuate the same, and means within the second valve actuatingchamber for normally maintaining the valve means in open position. V

3. In a fuel admission device of the character described, the Vcombination comprising a fuel valve, means for normally maintaining thefuel valve in closed position, adjustable means for limiting movement ofthe fuel valve in the direction of open position, a first conduit forsupplying fuel to the valve, a fluid chamber, a second conduitindependent of the first conduit for supplying a pressure fluid to thefluid ohambena valve associated with the second conduit for permittingthe flow of pressure fluid from the second conduit into the fluidchamber but preventing the withdrawal of pressure fluidtherethrough, avalve actuating cluding a piston for cooperating with the valve means toactuate the same, and means within the second valve actuating chamberfor normally maintaining the valve means in open position.

. 4. In a fuel admission device of the character described, thecombination comprising a fuel valve, means for normally maintaining thefuel valve in closed position, adjustable means for limiting movement ofthe fuel valve in the direction of open position, a first conduit forsupplying fuel to the valve, a fluid chamber, a second conduitindependent of the first conduit for supplying a pressure fluid-to thefluid chamber, a valve associated with the second conduit for permittingthe flow of pressure fluid from the second conduit into the fluidchamber but preventing the withdrawal of pressure fluid therethrough, avalve actuating chamber including a movable partition for cooperatingwith the fuel valve to actuate the same, means for placing the fluidchamber in communication with the valve actuating chamber, valve meansfor controlling the flow of pressure fluid through said means, a thirdconduit independent of the previously mentioned conduits forestablishingcommunication between the valve actuating chamber and theexteriorthereof, a valve as sociated with the third conduitfonpermitting the withdrawal of pressure fluid from the valve actuatingchamber but preventing the admission of fluid thereinto, a second valveactuating chamber including a movable partition for cooperating with thevalve means to actuate the same, and means within the second valveactuating chamher for normally maintaining the valve means in openposition, one of the above mentioned partitions comprising a diaphragmand the other partition comprising a piston.

' ARTHUR SAN'DHOFER.

